The Republican journal., 1887-08-04
Told by the Fireside.
BY HELEN n. PACKARD.

of the present century which is so rapidly
drawing to close; in fact, more than hun
drcd years ago, there lived in a little house, in
a dear little town in sight and sound OF the
blue sea, sturdy farmer of Scotch-Irish de-
scent. He, together with other cntcrprisng
pioneers, had come from New Hampshire, to
found IA new home near the waters of the Pas
| sagaSsawaukeag. The river was thus named
| by the Indians who had once rci.ne, sole mas
| tcrs of the dense forests and the blue waters
| of the river and bay. The >gniiicaton of the
word is deod men ,rolk. | do not think, how
ever, that the tradition carried much weight
with the hard-handed coonist>. Their minds
We're, doubtless, more concerned about bread
for their large families, than about the ghosts
which walked unquictly by the banks of the
| picturesque river.
| There the sturdy, God fearing farmer plant
ell his home and reared his children. which
were nine in number. OF his wife, we have
learned but little. but from the amiabIe thrift
ty and intelligent family they raised, we can
only judge her to have been, what nearly i'll
our forcmothers were, Il vcritablc mother in
Israel, who reared large family in the fear
and adnontioM of the Lord"
| To them were born eight daughters and one
son. Think of that. my au:her. in these days
of rulllcs ana pat>, of ,lraprrcs ANA silk
stockings, of hamburg trimmings and hats and
| gloves to match each suit. Eight girls in one
family! You, my dear, can form little idea of
th; simple manner in which they were clothed.
lIomespun was even more fashionable. then,
| than now. and, doubtless. they were clothed
| in truly homcsrun. OF the childhood and ear
| ly life OF the eight sisters, We know but little,
but often, when II girl myself. | have laid
awake in my attic bed. and wondered and spec
ulatcd on the manner in which their -rli>ll
| hours We're passed. Your grandmother was
| next to the youngest child Of their brother
John, and when her father died in l>2l, the
| old home was sadly broken up, and she rcmov-
cd to another town, and passed her @irlhood
there; so beyond the bare fact OF their births.
marriages and deaths. She could tell YOU hut
! little. But ] have no doubt but that their
| training was good, for they were healthy, hap
/ py and intelligent. and their pe>tcrity have
| largely given these good qualities TO tl" ru,l-
| munitics in which they have lived and are liN-
| ing. The women of that period did not have
the opportunities for Development that they
| now have. The higher c,itnution hl,l not been
thought of.
DO think the! were better oil then than
| Z" We'll, my dear. | don't know. What
ever Of thought or aspiration is planted in the
human heart. should most certainly have oi,-
lortunity to crow and blossom into beautiful
flowers of life. No doubt they Were rcprcsscd,
as all girls We're in those days. People did not
act their true natures, they do now. and
girls were not allowed the opportunities in life
that they now are. but they possessed some
good old fashioned virtues that the Girls of tor,
day might emulate to their own advantage. |
believe, however, that the daughters of John
Brown We're far Ahov.: thu ayrra@" in intell-
genrc and virtue.
"Did they all get married." Indeed, they
| did. The lovers came. and the old, old story
WAS repeated no less than eight time. to the
fair Brown girls. | have often wondered il
| my -ood 9rcat-@randfatlur had 4 front g:;tc.
III he dill, what q strain it must have stood
| in those good old times. fug | have no doubt
but that love maxim. was carried ON in very
much the same manner in which it now is.
Moonlight walks beneath the trees
.. Whispered words low spoken,
SighS and kisses, warm caraSSc>,
vows of love unbrokcn.
But still, my dear. it is very plain to lne that
in the matter Of sutorS there wcrclot different
families enough to 90 around.
Neighbor> were scattering in those dAyS.
but what they lacked in variety they attonrd
for in numbers, as we are told that only i've
different families supplied til" eight sisters
with husbands. Tie homrly Old proycrb
about "more than one slice oil of loaf" cyi-
IDENTIFY did not hold good in their eases.
The brother. who WAS also named John. h;tl
three wives. The name of the first one, prcyi-
ou> to her marriage, | do not know but tlic
second wife, my grandmother, and your great
grandmother. was Sarah Crosby. Il direct de-
sren,lant of Old Judge Sewell, who lung the
witches at salem. often has my mctllrr told
me the old family history and Of the hardship,
and privationS endured by hcrancc>;or,.
"What We're the names of my great aumi>
and whom did they marry" Their names
were Jane. BuScy, Hannah. Margaret. Ann.
H"bccca, Mary and jeanette. Jane married
Toforl Durham, of Belfast: BetScy married
John Durham. same place; Hannah married
Joseph Houston, Belfast; Margaret married
William Houston. Swanvilie: Ann married
Henry Black, of Prospect. now Sear>port ; Re
bcrra married James Black. same place, Mary
married Ehen Buck. of BuckSport. and ,Iancttc
married Caleb Stephenson of Belfast. They
Were all farincr>, and all raised large familct,.
Ny mother has told me that her @randmolhcr
had nincty-nn grandchildren. Not more th;rm
five on six of them are now living. They have
gone to swell the lnyi;ld bands of Inr vast tll-
known. but the pnStcrily Of the nine children
of John Brown are scattered far and " idc.
From the blue waters Of the bay. where the
sturdy old pioneer made a hom,. on the rocky
soil, far away to the Pacific slope. where the
grapes grow purple an, the fruit golden be-
meath an almost tropical sun. are scattered the
descendants Of John Brown and his nine child
rcn.
They have lived, and died. and been buried
i'll nearly every State in the Union. Some rest
in foreign lands, and others sleep beneath the
blue waters of the Atlantic.
"Their graves are scattered far and wide
by mount and stream and sea-"
When the great war of the Rebellion sum
| moned the young men of the country to arms.
the old blood was not found >ta@nant, and the
fourth generation Of John Brown left the col
lc@c. and the Workshop. the ledger and the
plow and Went forth to battle for the RIGHT
The good old blood has helped to make Green
the Sprin%in@ grass on the sunny slope, of old
Virginia, and the familiar names are marked
on many hca,l>tonc in the National cemeteries
at the south. The law of hcrctlity, older and
palmer than all other laws combined has had a
clear demonstration in this family. They in
hcritcd virtues and health, instead of vices and
disease. An influence for good has been sown,
that shall be felt for countless generations to
come May you, my love, profit by the en-
ample of your ancestors, and live as useful and
happy a life as did your grcat-great a,,nts and
when the summons comes to go up higher
may it be said of you, as of her. of old, "Shc
hath chosen the better part"
a Texas negro was struck by lightning and
killed. In his pockets We're found two horse
shoe magnets, two copper cents that had melt
ed together, 4 nickel that was partly melted
and stuck to his watch, and the nickel around
his money purse was also melted.